20050926

i am going to attempt to give you the recipe for this, but to tell you the truth, i was distracted by someone's repeated attempts at singing "i will always love you" in another, faraway backyard. apparently, not far enough. the muffin recipe itself is based on a jill dupleix recipe, so that's sound--i'm unsure as to how much fruit i added, though, and i completely screwed up the originally intended streusel topping by adding far too much brown sugar, which literally caramelized the macadamias (not a bad thing, really).

i baked these in paper cups which is why they are so tall, but i forgot to grease the cups beforehand, so that's why they are so pale. if you decide to try this, remember to use unwaxed paper cups, or the cups will burn. i could only find 8oz. unwaxed coffee cups, which put it in the jumbo muffin category, but 6oz ones would be preferrable--either way, expect lower yield and longer cooking times.

mango macadamia crunch muffins

for the muffin:75g/3oz melted butter 250g/9oz self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda pinch of salt 1 tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp vanilla extract 115g/4oz brown sugar (i used asian brown sugar, which is unrefined sugar, unlike american brown sugar, which is usually refined white sugar with molasses added in; use whatever you have available)2 large eggs125ml/4fl oz buttermilk the fruit from two large super-ripe mango(e)s, (carabao or manila if you can find them), or any stone fruit, really--roughly chopped

preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. sift dry ingredients (except sugar) together in a large bowl. add sugar and stir. beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and buttermilk in another bowl. make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring through with a fork until it is a lumpy paste. don't overmix. fold in the fruit.

mix the topping ingredients together.

grease the muffin pan or the interior of the paper cups and spoon in the mixture until 3/4ths full. top with a generous dollop of the macadamia sugar mix.

if you are using the paper cups, place them in a shallow baking pan, about ½-1 inch apart (you may need to rotate the pan halfway through baking). bake for 20-25 minutes if in a regular muffin pan, 25-35 for the ones in paper cups, or until the centers cook through. cool on a wire rack.

hi bramble--some mangoes tend to lose their flavour when cooking, and it tastes more like a peach. if mangoes can't be found, i would say use any stone fruit available. i think plums would be amazing.

hi cathy! i haven't done this before, but i've wanted to for awhile. i've seen it in several magazines, and i remember a kids magazine (highlights? dyn-o-mite?) that also did this back in the seventies.

hi reid--i think this would be a great way to recycle used coffee cups from your favourite coffee bar chain :)

I had this image stuck in my head for weeks and finally gave it a try... It failed miserably. I used peaches in place of mangos and skipped the cardamom, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. My topping sank into my muffins and it became a big buttery goo with a slightly cooked dough on top. Using self rising flour also made them grow very much. The flavor was ok, kinda like upside down cake, but this recipe did NOT make muffins :(. I'll try again making my own intuitive adjustments.My attempt

amy, oh no! honestly, i make these all the time (although, the last time was before the holidays), with consistent success. the recipe for the muffin base is from this jill dupleix recipe--the proportions are the same, it's just a difference of spicing and type of dairy. maybe try partially baking the muffins before adding the topping?

DISCLAIMER: this is a personal journal with no desires to be anything but. it contains my opinion with occasional fact thrown in; recipes have been tested where noted, in an unairconditioned kitchen in the tropics. YMMV. for my sake and yours, consult a professional!